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How politicians, once elected, work together to govern America. The roles of the President, Congress, and Courts in making and enforcing laws. Focus is on the impact of constitutional rules on the incentives of each branch, and on how they influence law. Fulfills the Writing in the Major Requirement for Political Science majors.

POLISCI 120Z:What's Wrong with American Government? An Institutional Approach

How politicians, once elected, work together to govern America. The roles of the President, Congress, and Courts in making and enforcing laws. Focus is on the impact of constitutional rules on the incentives of each branch, and on how they influence law. Fulfills the Writing in the Major Requirement for Political Science majors.

This course examines various issues surrounding the role of race and ethnicity in the American political system. Specifically, this course will evaluate the development of racial group solidarity and the influence of race on public opinion, political behavior, the media, and in the criminal justice system. We will also examine the politics surrounding the Multiracial Movement and the development of racial identity and political attitudes in the 21st century.
Stats 60 or
Econ 1 is strongly recommended.

| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-ED, WAY-SI

POLISCI 123:Politics and Public Policy (PUBLPOL 101, PUBLPOL 201)

American political institutions (the Presidency, Congress, and the Court) and political processes (the formation of political attitudes and voting) have for some time now been criticized as inadequate to the task of making modern public policy. Against the backdrop of American culture and political history we examine how public policy has been and is being made. We use theories from Political Science and Economics to assess the state of the American system and the policy making process. We use case studies and lectures to analyze contemporary issues including environmental policy, taxes and spending , gun control , economic growth and inequality and mobility. In some of these issue areas we use comparative data from other countries to see how the U.S. is doing relative to other countries. In addition to class room lecture and discussion, student groups are formed to analyze policy issues of relevance to them. (This course has merged with Political Science 2.)

POLISCI 124A:The American West (AMSTUD 124A, ARTHIST 152, ENGLISH 124, HISTORY 151)

The American West is characterized by frontier mythology, vast distances, marked aridity, and unique political and economic characteristics. This course integrates several disciplinary perspectives into a comprehensive examination of Western North America: its history, physical geography, climate, literature, art, film, institutions, politics, demography, economy, and continuing policy challenges. Students examine themes fundamental to understanding the region: time, space, water, peoples, and boom and bust cycles.

POLISCI 125S:Chicano/Latino Politics (CHILATST 125S)

The political position of Latinos and Latinas in the U.S.. Focus is on Mexican Americans, with attention to Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, and other groups. The history of each group in the American polity; their political circumstances with respect to the electoral process, the policy process, and government; the extent to which the demographic category Latino is meaningful; and group identity and solidarity among Americans of Latin American ancestry. Topics include immigration, education, affirmative action, language policy, and environmental justice.

POLISCI 125V:The Voting Rights Act (AFRICAAM 125V, CSRE 125V)

Focus is on whether and how racial and ethnic minorities including African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos are able to organize and press their demands on the political system. Topics include the political behavior of minority citizens, the strength and effect of these groups at the polls, the theory and practice of group formation among minorities, the responsiveness of elected officials, and the constitutional obstacles and issues that shape these phenomena.

| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-ED, WAY-SI

POLISCI 127P:Economic Inequality and Political Dysfunction

This course will examine how two of the defining features of contemporary U.S. politics, economic inequality and political polarization, relate to each other and to Congressional gridlock. The reading list will focus on several books recently authored by preeminent political scientists on this important topic. The course will cover a range of topics, including the disparity in political representation of the preferences of the affluent over those of the poor, the origins of Congressional polarization, the influence of money in politics, budgetary politics, immigration policy, and electoral and institutional barriers to reform.

| UG Reqs: WAY-SI

POLISCI 147P:The Politics of Inequality

This course is about the distribution of power in contemporary democratic societies, and especially in the US: who governs? Is there a ``power elite?'' Or, does public policy making accommodate a wide range of interests? What is the relationship between income and power? What are the political consequences of increasing income inequality? What are the implications of racial and ethnic inequities for the quality of democratic representation? Which policies increase political inequities? What are effective remedies for unequal influence? Finally, which institutions move democratic practice furthest towards full democratic equality? This course will address these questions, focusing first on the local distribution of power, and then in state and national levels of government, in a broadly comparative context. Students will have the opportunity to work with income and labor force surveys in a mid-term assignment, and in a final paper, to examine different dimensions of American inequality and their implications for the quality of American democracy.

POLISCI 148:Chinese Politics: The Transformation and the Era of Reform (POLISCI 348)

Overview of the reforms in China since 1978 that have made its economy one of the fastest growing in the world yet it still has the Chinese Communist Party at the helm wielding one party rule. Key questions addressed include the following: What has been the process and challenges of reform that have reshaped China¿s economic landscape? What are the political consequences of these dramatic economic changes? Why has the CCP remained strong while other communist regimes have failed? Markets have spread but what is the role of the state? What are the opportunities for political participation and prospects for political change? Materials will include readings, lectures, and selected films. This course has no prerequisites. (Graduate students register for 348.) This fulfills the Writing in the Major requirement for PoliSci majors.